In 1953 Miranda became the first Cuban to play for the Yankees since Armando Marsans
in 1918. Quick and sure-handed, he led AL shortstops in every fielding category but
average for Baltimore in 1955. He had good range and a strong arm that enabled him
to throw out runners from deep in the hole. In 1959 he fled Cuba by hiding in the
cockpit of a Pan Am plane; he returned two decades later to help family members escape
by boat.
(NLM)
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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»July 24, 1954:
After Casey Stengel pulls Phil Rizzuto in the eighth for a pinch hitter, he brings in Mickey Mantle again at SS. Mantle plays SS with Willie Miranda at 2B against lefthanded hitters. Against righties, Miranda and Mantle switch positions. Cleveland wins 5-4 to go 21Ž2 games up on New York.
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